New lectures revealed for 25th anniversary of Contemporary Military History at Salford

Following on from the success of the initial six lectures that took place from January to April this year, a further four lectures will take place in Chapman Lecture Theatre 2 on our Peel Park campus.

The lectures, will cover a range of research and insights from some of the biggest names in the field, including former programme leader Professor Matthew Hughes of Brunel University, who will speak about British operations in Borneo during the 1960s.

The anniversary series will begin on Wednesday 1 October with a lecture from Dr Adam Prime of the Western Front Association, a course graduate and former lecturer who will talk about the 25th London Cyclist Battalion and its service during the First World War and the Waziristan campaign.

Dr Matthew Powell, a Teaching Fellow at the University of Portsmouth and course graduate will follow on Wednesday 22 October. Dr Powell’s speech concerns the years preceding the Second World War and is titled ‘Preparing the Nation: Tax, Rearmament and Appeasement, 1936.’

On Wednesday 12 November, Mr Paul Watson (pictured in banner), another course graduate and British Army veteran who served 20 years in the military, will address an audience.

Paul was discharged from duty in 2015 following a spinal injury and then went on to pursue his degree at Salford. He was diagnosed with PTTSD in 2017 and published his book Life After Death: A Guardsman’s Tale in 2022 with the hope that it would highlight the impact of warfare on the mental health of both serving personnel and veterans.

Professor Hughes will then conclude the series of lectures on Wednesday 3 December. His talk is titled ‘British Soldiers, Jungle and Dayak on Borneo, 1962-66’ and will examine the British colonial state and British soldiers’ actions on Borneo during the confrontation with Indonesia in the 1960s.

The lectures are organised by Dr Brian Hall, Programme Leader for BA Contemporary Military and International History, who has organised them to highlight the programme’s prowess over the last 25 years.

You do not have to book to attend any of the lectures and all are free to attend.